Windshield cleaner



. May 15, 192s. 1,670,285

' W. M. FOLBERTH ET AL WINDSHI ELD CLEANER Filed July s, 192s Invenlor Patented ay 15, 1928.

WILLIAM M. FOLBERTH AND AIFEEIEJDERICK G. FOLBERTH, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WINDSHIELD CLEANER.

Application filed July 3,

This invention relates to a windshield cleaner ot the fluid pressure or suction operated type, and more especially to the valve mechanism for controlling the application ot' operating pressure to the piston construction.

Various attempts have been made to provide a simple and efiicient automatic valve mechanism l'or connecting the suction pas.- sage alternately to the cylinder passages which lead to the opposite ends of the motor cylinder, but their assembly and the mounting of their parts have required the use of special tools in the hands of highly skilled workmen. or where the assembly could be expeditiously etiected the construction and arrangement did not insure a perfectaction especially after considerable wear on the parts. The present invention aims to provide an automatic valve mechanism which may be readily and expeditiously assembled Without the aid of any tools. and which will insure a perfect seating of the valve, and it has for one of its objects to provide an improved mounting for the valve carrier whereby during the normal operation of the valve carrier to move the valve back and forth on the seat, said valvewvill be urged more firmly to engage its seat.' A further object of the invention is to mount the valve on its carrier so as to readily accommodate itself to its seat even though the movement of the carrier should be. irregular or untrue. Another object of the invention is to provide an actuator for the valve carrier which will be normally held against displacement, but which by manual manipulation may. be

readily mounted and dismounted. Finally,

the invention has for its'object to improve the general assembly and4 arrangement .of the valve carrier. Vits Vactuator and the. related parts for the efficient Working of the cleaner motor.

Tn the drawings;

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view `through a cleaner motor'constructed in accordance with the present invention, and

being shown applied to a Windshield. the

latter being in fragment;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View through thc improved motor;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal detailed view about. on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 showing the mounting of the valve on its carrier;

Fig. 1 is a similar view about on line 1926. Serial No. 120,378.

open ends by an encircling band 2, the ends of which are secured to a cover plate or body member 3. The body member is provided on its inner face with a bearing sleeve 4, and beneath this sleeve said face is provided With spaced cylinder orts 5 and an interposed suction port 6, said suction port. being alternately connectible to the cylinder' ports for establishing communication With the respective ends of the cylinder, as by means of pipes 7 which are connected to the ports 5. This type of motor is Well known in the windshield cleaner art, and is shown in our former application, Serial No. 701,- 519, filed March 24, 1924, of which this application is an improvement.

Journaled within the bearing sleeve 4 is a Wiper actuating shaft 8 which extends transversely through the cylinder or casing of the motor and supports a wi er 9 on its outer end. This shaft has Xed thereto within the cylinder a segmental4 gear 10 which meshes with a rack 11 connecting` the spaced pistons 12, whereby as the latter are reciprocated Within the cylinder, such motion will be translated into the desired oscillatory motion for operating the Wiper. The valve actuating mechanism comprises a valve carrier 13 and a slide or actuator 14, together with an interposed connecting spring 15. In the form shown the valve carrier is of an open frame construction having a central opening 16 by which the carrier may be. passed over the projecting bearing sleeve 4 and hung or suspended on a knife or bearing edge 17. This bearing edge is formed on the upper side of the bearing sleeve at an inclination extending downwardly toward `the inner face of thel body member 3 whereby the carrier frame will be urged toward the valve seat. The lower side ot' the valve carrier frame is provided with an opening 18 adapted to receive the stem or shank 19 of the valve 20, said frame being further provided with a ridge or bearing edge 21 on which the Valve is adapted to rest in more or less of a rockable manner whereby oroperation o the i valve will uniformly engage its seat re ardless of any untrue action the valve carrier. A stop i portion 22 depends from the carrier frame this groove ,is mounted the lower frame w vframe at substantially kadvantage of to effect a firmer lower end of member 26 of `the actuator 14. rlhis frame member is provided centrally with a perforated ear 27 to which the upper end of the spring 15 is attached, and the relation of the` ear-27 and the terminal 24 is such as to no1'- mally dispose the spring 15 at such an inclination as to force the valve toward thevalve seat. rlhe actuator is herein illustrated as being of a substantially rectangular design, having an elongated opening receiving the bearing sleeve 4. The upper frame member 28 has a centrally offset portion 29 for receiving said bearing sleeve in mounting the actuator thereon. The dimensions of the elongated opening of the actuatorvframe are such member 28 will hold the actuator against displacement except when the latter is moved to a central position wherein the offset 29 is opposite ,said bearing sleeve 4, in which position the actuator may be epressed against the compression spring 15 for displacing the lower frame member 26 from its guide 25.'

The action of the spring is to push downwardly on the carrier frame,in the position shownin Fig. 1, and this tendency is taken seating of' the valve by reason of the fact that the bearing edge 17 inclines downwardly, whereby any downward ressure on the carrier frame would tend to slliift the carrier frame toward the inner tace of the body member To support the'carrier in an operative position, and to also reduce the frictional contact between t-he carrier frame and the inner tace of the body 3, said carrier frame is provided with spaced balled projections 80 which serve to retain the upper end of the carrier the same space from the inner face of the body member as the the frame is spaced therefrom by the interposed valve 20. A pair of outstanding fingers 31 are provided on the sides ofthe opening 16, and these are adapted to engage the bearing sleeve 4 in the event that the carrier frame tilts at either side from the inner Jface of the body member, thereby serving to steady and hold the frame in its true operative position.

In practice the valve mechanism is assemfor operatively that the upper frameaevaees bled betere the shaft 8v is inserted through its bearing sleeve 4, and in the assembly of said mechanism the carrier frame 13 with its valve is suspended from the bearing edge 17, following which the actuator is passe over the outer end ot the bearing sleeve, with the latter entering the o'tfset 29, until the frame bar 26 comes opposite the guide 25, at which time said trame bar is moved upwardly into the guide groove. The actuator frame is now shifted to bring the bearing sleeve 4 into one or the other of the restricted end portions of the elongated frame opening. r[he spring may be connected either before or after the mounting ot the actuator.

ln the operation of the valve mechanism, the actuator is shifted by and during thel movement of the piston assembly 12, the rear piston engaging the adjacent end of the actuator as it nears the completion ot its stroke and shifts the actuator to move its attached end of the spring to the other side of the plane which includes the bearing 24, or, in other words, j

edge and the terminal beyond dead center. .At this point in the operation, the spring expands and shifts the valve carrier against the opposite stop 23 in which position the valve connects the suction port to the uncovered cylinder port 5 whereby the air behind the piston will begin to be withdrawn while atmospheric pressure will be admitted through the formly closed and now uncovered or open port 5 to its respective zone in the cylinder. ln this connection atmospheric pressure always' obtains within the cylinder between the two piston elements by reason of the air leak joints between cup members 1, the band 2, the body member 3 Vand the bearing Jfor the shaft` 8.

W'hat is claimed as new is 1. lin an automaticwindshield cleaner mot-or, a cylinder, a pair of connected pistons reriprocable therein, a body member extending into the cylinder between the pistons and provided von` a. shaft bearing sleeve and a valve seat through which a suction port and spaced cylinder -ports open, said cylinder ports communicating with the opposite ends ot `the cylinder, a valve movable over the valve seat for connecting thevsuction port alternately with the spaced cylinder ports where.- by the opposite ends ofthe cylinder are alternately placed in communication through the suction port with a source of suction, the side of said hearing sleeve remote from the valve seat being provided with a bearing edge which inclines toward the valvescat and the inner face of said body member, a valve carrier having an -opening through which said bearing sleeve projects, said cal.'- rier pivoting on said bearing edge and engaging the valve to move the same back and its inner face with forth over its seat, the side of said bearing sleeve adjacent the valve seat being provided with a guide extending lengthwise of the cylinder, an actuator slidable by said pistons along the guide, and a spring compressed between said carrier and said actuator and alternately positionable by the latter to move the carrier back and forth.

1 2. A valve actuating mechanism for automatic windshield cleaner'motors, comprising a body member having a valve seat on one face and an ovcrhanging bearing edge spaced from and inclining toward said face and said seat, a valve engaged on the seat,

a valve carrier pivoted on said bearing edge and engaged with said valve. an actuator mounted on the body member for movement back and forth by a moving part of the cleaner motor, and a spring connecting the actuator and carrier and cooperating with said bearing edge for urging the valve toward its seat, said spring being operatively vpositioned by said actuator for moving said carrier.

3. A valve actuating mechanism for automatic Windshield cleaner motors. comprising a body member having a valve seat on one face and an overhanging bearing edge spaced from and inclining toward said face and said seat, a valve engaged on the seat, a valve carrier pivoted on said bearing edge and engaged with said valve, and means tor oscillating the carrier including a resilient member acting to pull said carrier down the inclined bearing edge for urging the valve against its seat.

4. ln automatic valve mechanism for windshield cleaner motors. a body member having a valve seat on its inner face and an overhanging bearing edge inclined toward the seat. a valve carrier pivoted on .said bearing edge, a valve interposed between the valve seat and valve carrier and movable by the lat-ter on said seat. said carrier having a spacing projection adjacent its pivotal mounting for spacing the carrier from the inner face of said body member, and means for oscillating said carrier and urging the valve to its seat.l

5. In automatic valve mechanism for Windshield cleaner motors, a body member having a valve seat, a valve carrier pivoted on said body member and formed with a bearing edge, a valve connected to the carrier and movable thereby on said scat., said valve having rockable support on said bearing edge whereby said valve will accommodate itself to said seat relative to said carrier. and means for actuating the carrier.

6. ln automatic valve mechanism for windshield cleaner motors, a body member having a valve seat` a valve carrier pivoted on said body member and formed with `a valve receiving opening and a bearing edge adjacent the opening, a valve pivotally resting on the bearing edge and having a part engaging in the opening of the carrier, said valve being movable over the seat by said carrier, and resilient means for actuating the carrier from a moving part of the cleaner motor.

7. In automatic 'valve mechanism for windshield cleaner motors, comprising a body member having a. valve seat on its face, abearing member projecting from the face of said body member and formed on one side with a transverse guide, a valve engaged on the seat of said body member, a reciprocatory actuator operable along said guide from a moving part of the cleaner motor and having an elongated opening through which said bearing member projects, one Wall of the elongated opening slidably engaging the guide of said bearing member and the other wall of the elongated opening being centrally offsetito receive the bearing member whereby the first wall may be engaged with its guide, and means interposed between the actuator and the valve for moving the latter by the actuator, said means acting to hold the actuator operatively related to its guide.

8. An automatic valve mechanism for windshield cleaner motors, comprising a body member having a valve seat on its face, a bearing member projecting from the face of said body member and formed on one side with a transverse guide, a valve engaged on the seat of said body member, an actuator movable back and forth on said guide from a moving part of the cleaner motor and having an elongated opening through which said bearing member projects, one wall of the elongated opening slidably engaging the guide of said bearing member and the other wall of the elongated opening being centrally offset to receive the bearing member whereby the first wall may be engaged with its guide, said actuator being held against displacement by said bearing member when the latter is in either end of the elongated opening, a valve carrier pivoted to the body member for moving the valve on its seat, and a spring interposed between the carrier and the actuator and adapted to be positioned by the latter for shlfting the carrier back and forth, said spring normally holding the actuator at either limit of its movement in which position said bearing member is disposed in the corresponding end of the elongated opening whereby the actuator is held against displacement from kits guide by said bearing member.

9. A valve mechanism for automatic Windishield cleaner motors, comprising a body member having a valve seat on one face and a stop portion thereadjacent, a bearing member projecting from said face and having a knife edge, a valve operable on the seat, a carrier frame hung over said llt 20 seat, said `member having a valve seat on bearing member and supporting the valve,

Vpart engageable with said stop portion for limiting its movement, said frame encircling said bearing member and having portions adapted to engage the same to assist in maintaining the frame operative, an actuator movably supported by said body member, and a spring connecting the actua-tor to' the stop part of the carrier and adapted to be ositioned by the actuator for effecting a shift of said carrier.

10. An automatic valve mechanism for windshield cleaners, comprising a body one face and a projecting bearing part, a valve movable on the seat, a carrier frame passed over the bearingy part and pivotally hung thereon for supporting the valve for movement on its frame having out-turned fingers adapted to engage said bearing part to fiidin maintaining the frame operative, and means for oscillating the frame.

11. An automatic valve mechanism for Windshield cleaner motors comprising a body member having a valve seat, a valve carrier pvotally hung on the body member and having a part movable over the valve seat, said valve carrier part being formed with a bearing edge, a valve engaged said valve seat and movable thereover back and forth by said valve carrier part, said valve connected to said carrier part and having a rockable support on said bearing edge whereby said valve will accommodate itself to said valve seat,iand means for actuating the carrier from a moving part of the cleaner motor.

FREDERICK- G. FOLBERTH. WlLLIAM M. FOLBERTH.

with 

